


Brotherly Duties

by itsmoonpeaches



Series: Lost My Heart in Republic City [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Kataang Week, Kataang Week 2020, Minor Sokka/Suki, POV Sokka (Avatar), Post-100 Year War (Avatar TV), Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, Pre-Relationship, Romance, The Jasmine Dragon (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:29:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25611337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsmoonpeaches/pseuds/itsmoonpeaches
Summary: Prompt: Public Displays of Affection (PDA)-Zuko raised an eyebrow. “Something the matter with my uncle’s cooking?” he asked.Sokka shook his head. “No. It’s great!” he replied, then glanced to the opposite end of the tea shop where his sister and Aang were talking, and leaning in, and brushing fingertips. “It’s just if I have to eat this and watch those two, I might have an unexplained upset stomach.”Zuko picked up a bun and bit into it, humming in satisfaction. After swallowing the bite, he appraised Sokka. “You mean the obvious couple waiting to happen,” he added with a smirk.-Or, three weeks after the end of the war, Sokka decides to give his sister some love advice.
Relationships: Aang & Katara & Sokka & Toph & Zuko (Avatar), Aang & Katara (Avatar), Aang & Sokka (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Sokka
Series: Lost My Heart in Republic City [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1851508
Comments: 30
Kudos: 161





	Brotherly Duties

**Author's Note:**

  * For [haylestorming (lovable_and_lovable)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovable_and_lovable/gifts).



> Written for Day 4: Public Displays of Affection (PDA)
> 
> I would like to dedicate this one to haylestorming (lovable_and_lovable) who gave me the idea of Sokka counseling Katara on love in a comment they wrote a while back. Thank you!

Zuko was crowned Fire Lord. Great. After a year of trouble, Sokka really should have been overjoyed at the results. Instead, he found himself utterly annoyed out of his mind. It had already been three whole weeks since the end of the war. _Three whole weeks._ They made it to Ba Sing Se right after the coronation to talk about making the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom into something else. Perhaps, removing them would be an option. Sokka could see some of the problems with that though, especially with what he had heard about Yu Dao.

Who knew politics could be so exhausting? There was too much arguing over the same thing, too much wanting the same result but with different means. He kind of wished things were back to the way there were a few months ago when all he had to worry about was swinging his machete at some firebenders. People were heartless when they fought over land ownership. He hated to admit that he understood Fire Lord Sozin a little now. Not that he would admit to it Zuko, or anyone for that matter.

For the record, Sokka saw himself as a guy that grew up having to be a warrior. He should have been able to take all the nonsense thrown at him after the war was over. That traditionally would include all the peace talks, but unfortunately for him, that was not what he was stressing over now.

What he wanted to do was pull his hair out. Maybe he should take a page out of Aang’s book and shave it all off, if only for his own sanity. The only problem was that Aang himself was part of the problem. He loved the kid, really. Except he was going to lose it if he had to try and define whatever the tension was between him and his sister by himself.

Speaking of his sister…Katara was much, much worse. He did not think he would ever see the day that she would embarrass herself this badly.

Aang and Katara were still not talking about the weird vibes they had between each other, and Sokka was sick of it. Who hugs that much? Who _holds hands_ that much? There was too much public affection for his liking. That was not friendship. That was a disaster waiting to happen.

He was going to puke out his breakfast. It was a shame because it was a delicious breakfast that Iroh had made for them at the crack of dawn.

He shoved his plate of steamed pork buns and sweet eggs to the side with a frown. Across from him Zuko raised an eyebrow. “Something the matter with my uncle’s cooking?” he asked.

Sokka shook his head. “No. It’s great!” he replied, then glanced to the opposite end of the tea shop where his sister and Aang were talking, and leaning in, and brushing fingertips. “It’s just if I have to eat this _and_ watch those two, I might have an unexplained upset stomach.”

Zuko picked up a bun and bit into it, humming in satisfaction. After swallowing the bite, he appraised Sokka. “You mean the obvious couple waiting to happen,” he added with a smirk.

Sokka groaned. Zuko laughed at his expense. Toph and Suki who had just woken up, appeared behind him, rubbing their eyes.

Suki made a face at the scene. She brushed away strands of her bedhead, a curious quirk at the corner of her mouth. “You guys aren’t talking about Katara and Aang, are you?” she asked with a yawn. She made her way next to Sokka and pecked him on the cheek. “You’re up early.”

Sokka ignored the last comment. “I’m talking about how dumb my sister is acting. Aang is way more straightforward right now. He offers her seats; asks how she’s feeling everyday…Katara acts like she doesn’t know what she’s doing. She keeps blushing and fumbling and it’s like the two of them have flipped personalities. I have no idea where she gets that from.”

Suki let out a chuckle. “I can think of a few places,” she said, staring at him pointedly.

Sokka glared at her and the whole table burst out into laughter. He noticed that while everyone was teasing him, the two lovebirds on the other side of the room were oblivious. Typical. Toph even got a cheap shot at him.

“So, Twinkle Toes got more confident after defeating the Fire Lord,” shared Toph. She crossed her ankles on the tabletop and Zuko pulled his dish away in disgust. “About time.”

“Oh, like you knew they were into each other!” shot back Sokka.

“Please,” she replied with a lazy tone, “I can feel heartbeats, Snoozles. I’ve known they had some weird connection since we met.”

“What? No way!” he gasped.

Toph smirked. “What? When did you find out?”

He did not reply. Alright, so he did not notice anything until around the time they were in disguise in the Fire Nation. That dance in the cave they did together? All that unnecessary extra hugging and touching? It was like every time Aang was even remotely in distress, his sister had her hands on his face or his back or his arm. Not to mention how bold Aang had been to ask her to dance in the first place. He did not want to admit it, but he was kind of taking notes.

He was grumbling under his breath. This was not happening. In fact, it could not happen any longer. He knew as soon as the traitorous thought sank into his mind, he was either going to regret it or see it as an accomplishment. Either way, there was no turning back now. He was too stubborn for that.

Right then and there, Sokka decided he was going to give his little sister some advice on how to be in a relationship. When he shared his idea with the group, the laughter intensified.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” groaned Zuko.

“ _You_ giving relationship advice? Sign me up for the show!” exclaimed Toph.

“Hey, I have experience!” Sokka yelled, indignant. His voice cracked at the end of the sentence. “Suki and I have been together!”

Suki herself just shrugged. He was grateful that at least she was on his side. (Hopefully.)

“Look, all of us are tired of those two dancing around each other for the past few weeks. If I can help nudge Katara in the right direction, maybe we can all live a little. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be great at it!” he grinned.

“Whatever floats your boat, Love Guru,” said Toph.

-

Operation: Knock Some Sense into Katara was a go. That was what Sokka called his most important mission to date. It had taken some trial and error, but he had figured out a good time to corner Katara. He tried for the past day and kept getting interrupted by someone snooping. Most notably, Aang. Well, he probably was not snooping. He just kept walking in at the worst times. It might have had something to do with the fact that he and Aang shared a bedroom.

But now, there would be no interruptions. Zuko and Aang were in negotiations to make the colonies such as Yu Dao and neighboring towns, return to the Fire Nation. They had been talking about it for weeks, but for some reason the Earth King had chosen today as the day they would finally decide. Sokka doubted they would. 

On the plus side, that meant that Sokka would not have Aang come interrupt at least until the evening. He had all afternoon.

He spotted Katara practicing some light waterbending in the sitting room in the upstairs portion of the Jasmine Dragon. She had a pot in front of her filled with water. Suki and Toph were sitting on a couch near the window. He gave them a look and Suki sighed, nudging Toph to follow her to the next room. Katara did not even notice.

Sokka cleared his throat, clasping his hands behind his back. Katara looked up, a question lingering in the air.

“So,” he started casually as he sat on the divan next to her. “You and Aang…Aang and you…”

Katara raised an eyebrow. The water she was bending splashed back into the pot. She sat back on her haunches. “Okay,” she deadpanned.

Bearing it no mind, he stretched out his back on the cushions and motioned for her to sit beside him. She complied with reluctance. “I’ve noticed you and Aang…talking,” he continued, observing her expression. “Are you guys…you know…a thing?”

Katara gulped, suddenly looking very embarrassed. She was flushed up to her eyeballs. Sokka suppressed a snort.

“What do you mean?” she squeaked. She began playing with the ends of her hair with nervous hands.

“You know what I mean,” he replied with as serious a face he could muster. Really, she was making this more difficult than it should have been.

When his sister was silent on the matter, he realized that that was as close to an answer as he was going to get. He pouted. “Have you…told him anything?”

Katara tugged on a thick bundle of her hair, avoiding his eyes. “Well…no…okay yes,” she stumbled through. “Not really? Just that I was confused.”

“You told him you were _confused?”_ he cried. Oh man, he was starting to seriously consider ripping out his ponytail. She was begging for his help with how strange she was acting. He was itching to give her what she needed. After all, he was the love expert in the room. “I’m sorry, little sister, but what does that mean? _”_

“Exactly how it sounds! I was confused. We were in the middle of a war, I wasn’t really thinking about those things a lot, and he kissed me twice so—”

“He kissed you _twice?”_

He spent the next few moments in an out-of-body experience because _his best friend had kissed his sister and he had no idea about it._ He was freaking out. A lot. So much, that he did not know what was up or down. _Keep it together, Sokka,_ he thought in a panic. It was easier said than done.

“Okay, okay, so maybe I liked it—”

Sokka placed his hands on her shoulders, glaring at her and forcing her to stop. So, he might have forced his pounding heart down his throat, no big deal. “Katara, if you liked it, why were you really confused?” he asked, trying to calm himself. It was indeed a test of his own resolve. “I’m not understanding any of this.”

Katara inhaled, glancing away from him. She bit her bottom lip. “Maybe _confused_ wasn’t the right word. Maybe it was more like I was scared. I really was worried about the war, but…you remember what happened when Azula shot him down. You know what happened afterward.”

Sokka did remember. His sister was angry and in turbulent moods for those few weeks that Aang was in a coma. She would not let anyone near him. She got mad when their father asked her to leave his side to help them capture a Fire Navy ship. “I should be with Aang,” she had said, voice low with frustration. She would seclude herself from most of the warriors, writing in a journal. Every day at the same times, she would heal Aang. Sokka barely convinced her to let him bathe him.

Back then, Sokka chalked it up to worry. They had all been concerned for their friend. It was no easy wound to heal from and being shot full of lightning would be fatal to anyone. Aang had looked dead. But now, Sokka realized that for his sister, it had been more than worry. It had been deeper than that. Something else.

“Alright, I get it,” he sighed, releasing her. “You don’t have to say anything else.”

There was silence, and then Katara broke it. “What do you think I should do, Sokka?” she asked. She sounded anxious, and he took it upon himself to remedy that.

Sokka pushed his lips together in a line and nodded. “If you like him back,” he said, “tell him. You look unsure all the time, but Aang clearly is not. Not from what I can tell.” 

“He’s not?” she gasped. Surprise glinted in her eyes.

 _Wow, she is oblivious,_ he thought with a grimace.

“Trust me, little sister,” he said. “If he kissed you twice, then he’s out there with how he feels, you know? I think it’s your move now.” He could not believe how nonchalant he was acting about the situation. He was telling his own sister that it was alright to go get together with his best friend. He supposed that in normal brothers, this would be problematic, but somehow this was different. He trusted Aang. “I think you should go for it,” he finished with a grin. 

He let her ponder her own thoughts for a while. He felt like he had completed his sacred brotherly duties.

Hours passed, the gang gathered back into the empty tea shop. The day was over and the last of the customers filed out. The sky was pink and purple, and magnificent in its own way.

He sat down on a chair and flattened a piece of parchment out on the table before him. He dipped a brush into the black inkwell. Even after all this time, he figured he should practice his drawing skills. He knew for a fact that he was great at it. Master Piandao would be proud.

Sokka swiped a few strokes, completing the exciting picture with Suki firebending. A little creative freedom never could hurt anyone, of course. Beside him, Katara complained about how he depicted her “hair loopies.” Zuko placed a cup of tea on the edge, frowning about looking like a boar-q-pine, Mai let out a disgusted protest, and Iroh patted his belly.

“I think you all look perfect!” bellowed Toph.

They were laughing, and it was nice. Soon, it was time to get ready for Ba Sing Se’s big jamboree with the Earth King to celebrate the end of the war. Sure, it had been a few weeks already, but this was the official party. To be honest, Sokka was not one to complain if it involved an infinite supply of fancy finger foods.

He glanced around, searching for Katara and Aang. They were nowhere to be seen. He peeked behind the counters and called for them in their rooms. Sighing, he decided to check outside. He cracked open the doors leading to the entrance of the shop.

And then, he walked in on them smooching on the balcony. He screamed.

**Author's Note:**

> Sokka is insane and I love him. Hope you liked reading this!


End file.
